My Purpose, With Cookies

A few weeks back I learned the local congregation's "focus", or vision and direction. I did that so I could teach it to members of the congregation and suggest ways for them to use it in their families.

But, I slowly came to realize that I didn't have a code, a creed, a personal one-liner to guide me. I read the scriptures and live my life by them, but had no short, quick spur-of-the-moment guide.

So I started looking. My purpose as a missionary is easy, it has already been written for me:

Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them recieve the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonememt, repentance, baptism, recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.            -Missionary Purpose

There's a lot in there, but really, the only things that it says directly for me are "invite" and "help". That's all the direction in there, summed up. Besides, in only a year I'll be released from my mission, so I need a purpose that's more far-reaching than that.

As I turned my thoughts to the future, I realized my creed had to be even more multi-purpose than I had yet imagined! It had to contribute to right choices in my life as I cycled through:
-single, unemployed live-at-parent's-house guy
-single, employed student
-married (urk!) employed student
-husband
-father
-And so on!

It had to be all-encompassing! It had to enfold new responsibilities while still fitting the old ones in. Well, I've used up a lot of space, so I'll continue tomorrow, but I'll tell you this: my first good step was to turn to the First and Great Commantment.